Shaping our legal future

By Ben Du Feu Fracking and the myriad of legal, economic, environmental and political issues surrounding the controversial extraction method look set to take prominent place in the regulatory discourse of 2014. As energy companies gear up to gain the necessary consents and licences, landowners are voicing their opposition to many of the proposed projects. […]

By Simon Hetherington If you type the word “seismologist” or “earthquake” into any decent search engine, you will get, as you would expect, a mass of hits on science-based websites. This week, you will also get a good number on legally-focussed sites. Almost as much as the scientific community, the legal community is shocked by […]

By Stephen Hockman The government’s attempt to move forward the date for a reduction in subsidies for households with solar panel installations is concerning, both in legal terms and for the future of renewable energy. The Court of Appeal’s judgment on 25 January 2012 reassuringly blocked the government’s endeavours, but with the intention of the […]

By Stephen Hockman The Government’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill has now reached the House of Lords, and had its second reading on Monday 21 November. Its aim was described by the Justice Minister, Lord McNally, as “nothing less than intelligent, radical reform of the justice system”. The purpose of this blog […]

By Neasa MacErlean As we await the next Finance Bill, people with a green disposition have every right to feel impatient about the lack of progress on environmental taxation. The recent Budget followed the example of its predecessors in neglecting the area. In fact, with its help for motorists it set back the cause. Or […]